OTTAWA XL—All Out

May 17-19—The world’s top paddlers gathered in Beachburg, Ontario to compete in the Ottawa XL during one of the highest water years in over a decade. The two-day inaugural event featured a big wave surf contest and a boatercross race, and the top athletes overall qualified for the 2014 Whitewater Grand Prix and the chance to shatter the limits of whitewater competition.

Day two kicked off with the high-water boater-x race. Athletes raced in heats of eight down the two-km stretch from the top of Butchers Knife Rapid to the bottom of Coliseum Rapid, battling each other the whole way. The average run took about six minutes, and there were two swims at bottom of Coli Rapid.

The final heat had 12 paddlers. Marcos Gallegos lead Dane Jackson to the bottom of Coli during the finals but just missed the eddy at the finish and passed by the entire field. Katrina Van Wijk dominated the women’s class, giving her the second place overall and a spot in the 2014 Whitewater Grand Prix. Nouria stayed strong and won the overall for the women, also landing her a spot for the Grand Prix.

Places from the day one freestyle competition and day two boater-x determined the overall winner and the qualifiers for the 2014 Whitewater Grand Prix, to be held in Quebec.